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Friday, June 26, 2015

Tennessee Man Pleads Guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery of Former Employer

A Tennessee man pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and use
of a handgun in a crime of violence, announced Assistant Attorney General
Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S.
Attorney David Rivera of the Middle District of Tennessee.

Deonte Graham, 34, of Clarksville Tennessee, pleaded guilty
before Chief U.S. District Judge Kevin Sharp of the Middle District of
Tennessee.Sentencing is scheduled for
XX.

On Oct. 21, 2011, Singletary Construction in Clarksville,
Tennessee, was robbed of $17,000 in cash by two masked men with a gun.Physical evidence recovered in connection
with the robbery resulted in the identification of Michael Massey as one of the
robbery suspects.In May 2015, Massey
pleaded guilty to his role in the robbery.

In connection with today’s guilty plea, Graham admitted
that, in October 2011, he had worked for Singletary for more than one
year.According to Graham’s admissions,
after the owner of the company accused Graham of misrepresenting the hours he
worked and docked his pay, Graham and Massey devised a plan to rob
Singletary.Graham also admitted that,
in December 2012, he bragged to a former Singletary employee about arranging
the robbery because Singletary owed him money.

This case was investigated by Clarksville, Tennessee, Police
Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.The case is being prosecuted by Trial
Attorney Laura Gwinn of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang
Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynne T. Ingram of the Middle District of
Tennessee.